News & Analysis as of

Employer Liability Issues State Labor Laws Unpaid Wages

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

It's Official: In Oregon, Owners and Contractors Can Be Held Responsible for Unpaid Wages of Employees of Subcontractors

On May 29, 2025, Oregon Gov. Kotek signed into law SB 426 relating to unpaid wages of employees of contractors and subcontractors on construction projects in Oregon. This new wages law will be added to and made a part of ORS...more

BakerHostetler

Brakes Pumped on New York Labor Law’s Manual Worker Claims

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The recently passed 2025 New York State budget bill includes an amendment to the New York Labor Law that will have major implications for employers sued for late wage payments....more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

New York Sharply Curtails Damages for Weekly Pay Violations

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The 2025 New York State budget includes a provision that reduces the potential damages available to plaintiffs for violation of the weekly pay requirement of the New York Labor Law....more

Epstein Becker & Green

New Jersey Wage Theft Act Does Not Apply Retroactively, Per the State Supreme Court

Epstein Becker & Green on

On May 15, 2024, the New Jersey Supreme Court held in Maia v. IEW Construction Group that both the six-year look-back period and liquidated damages provided by the state Wage Theft Act (WTA) do not apply retroactively....more

Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP

Employees Not Automatically Entitled to Attorneys' Fees Under North Carolina Wage and Hour Act

When litigating claims under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), litigants are aware of long-standing case law that essentially awards a prevailing plaintiff with their attorneys’ fees absent extraordinary...more

Saiber LLC

New Jersey Supreme Court Finds 2019 Amendments to the Wage Payment Law and Wage and Hour Law are Not Retroactive

Saiber LLC on

In a recent unanimous decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court in Christopher Maia v. IEW Construction Group, the seven-judge panel reversed the prior judgment of the Appellate Division and held that the August 6, 2019,...more

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

California Supreme Court Confirms the “Knowing and Intentional” Standard of California’s Wage Statement Law Requires a “Knowing...

In Naranjo v. Spectrum Security Services, the case’s second appearance before the California Supreme Court in two years, the Supreme Court confirmed that an employer does not incur civil penalties for failing to report unpaid...more

Ballard Spahr LLP

New Jersey “Wage Theft”  Amendments Apply Only Prospectively

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In a unanimous decision, on May 15, 2024, the New Jersey Supreme Court held that the state’s amendments (Chapter 212) to the Wage Payment Law (WPL) and the Wage and Hour Law (WHL) apply prospectively, and therefore plaintiffs...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Good Faith Defense Applies To Wage Statement Penalty Claims

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The California Supreme Court concluded that the “good faith” defense applies to claims seeking to impose penalties under California Labor Code section 226. An employee must show that an employer’s failure to comply with...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Rejects Compensation Plan Allocating Commissions to Overtime and Premium Pay

On March 28, 2024, in Sutton v. Jordan’s Furniture, Inc., the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) upheld a Massachusetts Superior Court decision finding the furniture retailer’s commission-based compensation scheme...more

Venable LLP

Staying Compliant - Avoiding Wage Theft in New York

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In October 2023, we wrote an alert detailing an amendment to New York's Penal Code that added wage theft as a means of committing criminal larceny. This amendment, along with the creation of a specialized Worker Protection...more

Mintz - Employment Viewpoints

New York Court Puts Breaks on Manual Worker Weekly Wage Payment Claims

In a hotly anticipated decision, the New York State Appellate Division, Second Department held in Grant v. Global Aircraft Dispatch, Inc. that manual workers do not have a private right of action under the New York Labor Law...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

New York Weekly Pay Update: Governor and Appellate Court Seek to Scale Back Litigation

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Seyfarth Synopsis: A legislative proposal by the Governor, and a new appellate court decision, may have significant ramifications for weekly pay litigation in New York state and federal courts....more

Bowditch & Dewey

Rhode Island Employers Take Note – New Penalties for Wage & Hour Violations Begin January 1, 2024

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As of January 1, 2024, a new amendment to the Rhode Island Payment of Wages Act, R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-14-1, et seq. (the “Wage Act”) will impose criminal liability for certain wage and hour violations by Rhode Island...more

Littler

Rhode Island’s Amended Payment of Wages Act Now Imposes Felony Penalties on Employers

Littler on

Effective January 1, 2024, the Rhode Island Payment of Wages Act, R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-14-1, et seq. (“Wage Act”) will make a “knowing[] and willful[]” wage and hour violation punishable as a criminal felony.  Should an...more

Benesch

New Legislation Introduced to Protect and Expand Employee Rights and Benefits in New York

Benesch on

On September 6, 2023, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation making failure to pay wages a criminal offense. The new law, (S2832-A/A154-A), expands New York’s definition of larceny to include “wage theft,”...more

CDF Labor Law LLP

[Webinar] What’s the Deal? - California Employment Law Issues in Business Transactions and Restructurings - May 24th, 9:30 am -...

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CDF Labor Law LLP presents a complimentary webinar that will cover California employment law issues that arise in business transactions and restructurings. Please join CDF employment law attorneys John Giovannone, Erin Owen,...more

CDF Labor Law LLP

Naranjo v. Spectrum Security Services, Inc.

CDF Labor Law LLP on

Earlier this week, the California Court of Appeal reached a decision that may ease employers’ worries when presented with a wage and hour lawsuit. California’s plaintiff-friendly laws provide avenues for plaintiffs to...more

Stokes Wagner

Rounding Time Entries - Just Don’t Do It

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On October 24, 2022, the Sixth District issued a decision in in Camp v. Home Depot, handing employees a major win in the wage and hour arena by holding that Home Depot’s practice of rounding hourly employees’ total daily...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

California Appellate Court Affirms Attorneys’ Fees for Meal and Rest Break Claims

​​​​​​​On September 12, 2022, the California Court of Appeal held that employees bringing successful rest break and meal period claims are entitled to recover attorneys’ fees under California Labor Code section 218.5. The...more

Littler

Colorado Enacts Wage Theft Amendments, Increasing Employer Penalties and Permitting Classwide Demands

Littler on

Colorado has again modified the state’s wage theft laws with the enactment of Senate Bill 22-161.  Among other things, the wide-ranging amendments increase penalties for employers that do not timely pay wages, allow employees...more

Goulston & Storrs PC

Massachusetts Imposes Additional Potential Liability on Employers for Wage-and-Hour Compliance

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In a departure from earlier court decisions, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) has imposed additional potential liability on employers for wage-and-hour compliance. In Reuter v. City of Methuen, the SJC explained...more

Perkins Coie

Failure to Pay Wages Due at Discharge Can Incur Triple Damages in Massachusetts

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Late payment of final compensation just became significantly more expensive for employers with workers in Massachusetts. In an opinion on April 4, 2022, Reuter v. City of Methuen, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court held...more

Foley Hoag LLP

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Rules that Employees with Federal Overtime Claims Cannot Obtain Remedies Under the...

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On April 14, 2022, the SJC held that where employees’ sole claims for overtime wages rest on the employer’s liability under the FLSA, employees are limited to the remedies provided under the FLSA, and may not receive treble...more

WilmerHale

Massachusetts SJC Rules that Employers are Strictly Liable for Treble Damages for Delayed Wage Payments

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Overturning nearly 20 years of lower-court precedent, on April 4, 2022, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) issued a landmark decision holding that an employer is strictly liable for treble damages for any late...more

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